Drive for tractor loaders



June 15 1926.

' N. P. NELSON DRIVE FOR TRACTOR LOADERS Filed March 27, 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 1 vwemtoz els Peh r Nelson June 15, 1928. 1,588,851

. N.P.NELSON r DRIVE FOR TRACTOR LOADERS Filed March 27, 1923S-Sheets-Shebj 2 JHLiJi-L 'l ll! M 'rwk W if! i in i!" 11-;

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June 15 1926. 1,588,851

N. P. NELSON DRIVE FOR TRACTOR LOADERS Filed March 27, 19253Sheets-Sheet :3

Nels er e r Nelson 351 firs Gum;

i atented June 15, 1926.

STATES FFwiiils NELS PETER NELSON, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YGJRKO- DRIVE FORTRACTOR LQADEEQ,

Application filed March 27, 1923. Serial No. 627,9?S,

My invention relates generally to wagon veyor is brought almost to astandstill. It loading devices and more especially to a will be apparentof course that during the type of loading device which is supportedoperation of backing or crowding the and driven from a tractor, andwhich is loading device, the tractor must be moved provided with certainimprovements in conslowly, an operation which in any case is struction,whereby the elevator of the loadtaken care of by slipping the frictioning device may be driven continuously and clutch, but in the arrangementjust dedirectly from the tractor motor and entirely scribed the trayelof the elevator will not independently ofthe operation of the tracbeconstant during the clutch slipping option wheels of the tractor.eration and all the disadvantages con- The particular tractor to whichthe pres- ,nected with an intermittently operated conent invention isespecially adapted is genveyor will be encountered. Without the erallyknown as the Fordson tractor which slipping operation of the clutch, theis of the general four wheel construction, tractor if thrown intoreverse would simply i. e., steering wheels forward and traction crowdso rapidly that the conveyor could wheels disposed iearwardly thereof.The not take care of the material and the entire motor is disposedforwardly of the tracloading device and tractor would ride or tor andpower is transmitted rearwardly climb over the pile, through a clutch, atransmission unit, and o With the foregoing in mind, it is the adifi'erential gearing, to the traction wheel purpose of the presentinvention to avoid axle. The Fordson tractor is further prothe use ofthe power take-off pulley, as a vided with a power take-ofi-shaft andpulmeans for driving the elevator of the loadlcy arranged at the side ofthe differential ing device, and in lieu thereof it is congear casing;the take-ofi-shaft, as contemplated to take the power for drivingstructed, enters the casing and is provided the conveyor of the elevatordirectly from with a bevel car which meshes with a bevel the motor crankshaft at a point entirely gear mounted directly upon the drive shaftremote from the clutch and transmission on the driven side of the clutchand between mechanism. I accomplish this purpose by.

the latter and the transmission gear train. utilizing the projectingsection of the motor In this type of device to manipulate the crankshaft of the tractor, preferably be- 'tractor so that the latter willremain statween the crank case and the clutch for tionary while thepower take-olf-pulley is the crank handle, which section is now driven,it is necessary to throw the gear equipped with a pulley used to drivethe shift into neutral. This causes the power ordinary motor fan, and inlieu of this pulley to operate continuously as long as pulley I providea combination pulley and the clutch is engaged, but if it is desiredsprocket'wheel, the latter portion of which to advance or back thetractor during conmay be coupled with the conveyor of the tinuedoperation'of the power pulley the elevator through suitable mechanismsand clutch must be slipped in order to bring control devices hereinafterdescribed in dcthe gears into mesh in the well known tail,

manner; as a result, the speed of the pulle It is a further object ofthe invention to is reduced and if it is carrying a loa enable anoperator by proper manipulation operation of the driven element almostof the control devices of the tractor, to 1 crowd the loading device atany desired There are several loading devices on the speed, slowly-.into a pile of material, fast market which are carried and operated byfor a thinly scattered layer of material, or the Fordson type oftractor, but in each' held at a standstill if plenty ot matemal 1Sdevice the 'power for driving the elevator is within reach of thefeeders, all of such taken from the power take-ofi-pulley just movementsbeing effected while the elevator described, and as a consequence, thesupply is being continuously operated at full caof material contiguousto the feeder of the pacity. elevator being exhausted, it is necessaryto c back the tractor into closer proximity to a are to provide a deviceor this character 'new suppl of material, whereupon the which iseflicient in operatlon, easily maclutch is slipped and the elevatorconnipulated, and durablein construction, and

Still further objects of this invention which is designed especially foruse in connection with the Fordson type of power tractor.

The invention is illustratively exemplified in the accompanyingdrawings, in which, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a Fordsontractor equipped with a loadin device and my improved means for drivingthe latter directly from the engine;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same; Figure 3 is a,planview of the treetor and drive arrangement for the tractlon wheels 14,respective] The crank shaft15 of the motor 1s clear y shown in- Figure3, and adjacent the rear end thereof the shaft 15 is coupled to atransmission and clutch mechanism 16. Slightly in advance of thetransmission 16 between the latter and the clutch mechanism and gearedto the crank shaftl5 through a pair of miter gears 17 is a powertakeoff-shaft 18 terminating on the outside of the crank casin 10 andhaving arpulley 19 keyed thereon. he clutch itself .is designated 20 andis provided with the usual clutch release plate 21 operated by a clutchlever 22, the latter being pivoted intermediate its ends and providedwith a curved up er portion adapted to be disposed in the pat o a clutchrelease cam 23. The cam 23 is mounted ona transverse pedal shaft 24which projects from the right side of the crank case 10 and carries afoot pedal 25 adjacent the said case. To disengage the clutch the pedal25 is depressed, rocking the shaft 24 and rotating the cam 23, which inturn rocks the clutch lever 22 and acts on.

the clutch release plate 21 causing the clutch housing to move in arearward direction and releasing the spring pressure against the clutchplates.

At the opposite end of the crank shaft 15, where 1t projects through thefront end of the crank casing 10, I mount a combination fan pulley andsprocket wheel 26, the pulley being connected to the fan by means of abelt 27 and the sprocket being adapted to drive the elevator of aloading device through a chain and sprocket mechanism hereinafterdescribed. The parts just referred to are those which constitute, theregular assembly of a Fordson tractor and in order to mount and supporta wagon loading device, such as that shown in the drawing, it isnecessary to attach a frame to the crank case 10, the frame being rearofv the steeri upright steel' mem'ers 34 arranged on op axle, 12.Adjacent the rear ends of the sills.

28 and attached thereto immediately over 1 the rear axle 12 are a pairof inverted V- shaped steel. pieces 32, which constitute asuperstructure pivotally supporting the loading fde'vice,- and which areprovided with journals or-bearings 33 at their uppermost vertices, theaxes of the bearings being aligned and disposed transversely across thegeneralaxis of the tractor proper. Disposed forwardly of the sills 28and slightly in the wheels 13 are a pair of posite sides of thetractorand having their upper ends attached to'a bridge plate 35, which extendsover the tank of the tractor.

One end of this plate 35, below the rivets attaching it to the leftupright 34, is bent forwardly at an angle to receive the upper end ofvan inclined strengthening bar 36. The

forward end of the bar 36 is attached to a plate 37 projecting upwardlyfrom the extreme forwardly projecting end of the sill 28, as clearlyillustrated in Figure 2. The

superstructure just described carries an eye adjacent opposite ends inthe bearings 33.

.Mounted to oscillate about this shaft 39 is the loader proper whichconsists of a steel structure 40 having depending bearings 41adjacentthe rearward end thereof, the bear ings being adapted to turnabout the said shaft 39. The loader further comprises a pair of parallelguideways 42 and 43 in which a continuous conveyor 44 is adapted totraverse in the usual manner. The conveyor 44' is provided with flightsor buckets 45 which carry material through the uppermost guideway 42 andreturn empty through the under guideway 43. Adjacent the delivery end ofthe loader frame 40 thelatter is provided with a U-shaped strap-46, inthe midportion of which is attached the upper end of a turn-bucklearrangement 47 which comprises an upper rod 48 and a lower rod 49, and aturn-buckle 50 adjustably mounted over the adjacent ends of the rods.The lower rod 49 is pivotally mounted on a pin 51' disposed in. the eye38 attached to the bridge piece 3", as previously explained.

By manipulation of the turn-buckle 50 the rods 48 and 49 are adjustedtoward or away from each other whereby-the loader changes itsinclination about the pivot shaft 39 and the feeding end of the devicereceives relative adjustment with respect to the ground and materialinto which it is being crowded.

The conveyor 44 passes'at its lower end, i. e., the feed end of theelevator, about a foot roller 53 and at the opposite or delivery endabout a head roller 54. The head roller 54 is mounted upon a rotarydriven shaft tractor.

55 which bears in suitable bearings 56 in the elevator frame 40, andwhich carries a sprocket 56 externally of the said frame and on theright side of the loader, as shown in Figure 2. The sprocket 56 isdriven by a continuous sprocket chain 57 passing about a sprocket 58loosely mounted upon the pivot shaft 39. The sprocket 58 is attached toa.

driven sprocket 59 disposed between the former and the elevator andwhich is of substantially greater diameter than the sprocket 58.

Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 4, I have illustrated oneembodiment of my improved elevator or drive which receives its powerdirectly from the front of the motor and which comprises alongitudinally disposed clutch shaft 60 mounted in a suitable bearingcarried by a forward upright suport 61. The support 61 comprises a steelar attached at its lower end to the sill 28 and at its upper end the baris bent inwardly at right angles and attached to the flange of theradiator of the tractor. L'ooking towards the front of the tractor thebar 61 and the clutch shaft 60 are arranged at the right side of thetractor and at an elevation substantially on a plane coinciding with thetop of the motor, i. e., between the shaft 39 and the sill 28. Therearwardly projecting end of the clutch shaft 60, beyond a bearingcarried by a second upright 62 attached to the sill 28, carries a bevelgear 63 which meshes with a bevel gear 64, the latter being carried by acounter shaft 65 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the Vframes 32 at both sides of the In the angle between the bevel gears 63and 64 the counter shaft 65 carries a sprocket wheel 68 which is alignedwith the sprocket 59 and drives the latter through an endless sprocketchain 67 disposed about the two sprockets.

The forward end of the clutch shaft 60 carries the members of a frictionclutch device 68 which may be any of the well known types and whichnecessarily will be controlled from the station of the operator throughconnecting means indicated generally at 69. The power side of the clutch68 is provided with a sprocket wheel 70 which is aligned with thesprocket wheel portion of the, member 26 through an endless sprocketchain connection 71, clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Thisconstruction completes the assembly of the elevator driving means forthe loader and it will be noted that the mechanism itself and thecontrol therefor are disposed entirely independently of the traction andpower-take-ofi devices, so that the latter may be controlled andmanipulated without in any way affecting the rate of speed of the drivefor the loader.

Referring now to the clutch control for the traction wheel drive ortransmission 16, attention is directed especially to Figure 5 in which72 denotes a shaft supported in bearings 73 on the sills 28, anddisposed substantially parallel to and on a plane sli htly above andrearwardly of the axis of the clutch pedal shaft 24. One end of theshaft- 72 carries a cam 74, having a cam surface so shapedas to engagethe pedal 25 and to depress it into its disengaged position, whilemaintaining contact wi th the pedal 25 at a point near its outerextremity, thus retaining its leverage against the increasing res-istance of the clutch spring. The opposite end of the shaft 72, at theleft side of the tractor looking towards the front thereof, is providedwith a lever arm 75 having a latch control 76 which engages the teeth ofa sector plate 77 attached to the sill 28 adjacent the shaft 72.

When .a loading device of this character is carried by a Fordson tractorthe latter is usually manipulated from one side thereof and preferablyat a station slightly in advance of the traction wheels 14 and at theleft side of the machine. This station in the present constructioncomprises a step platform 78 suspended upon depending steel angle irons79 which are attached to the sill 28. Referring to Figure 3 it will beapparent that the operator standing on the platform 78 will be withinreach of the steering wheel 80, gear shifter lever 81, clutch controllever 75, and elevator clutch control 69.

A completed assembly of the loader, of

the type shown in the present embodiment of my invention, comprises aspiral self feeder device indicated at 82 which includes oppositelyarranged spiral blades 83 mounted upon the foot shaft 84 at oppositesides of the foot roller or sprocket 58.

The operation of the device is as follows :Both control clutches 20 and68 are held in released position and the motor is i Before or subsequentto the movement of the tractor, the other clutch control 69 may beoperated to cause the power from the sprocket and chain connection withthe forepart of the crank shaft 15 .to be transmitted to the clutchshaft 60, bevel gears 63 and 64, counter shaft 65 and thus operating theelevator; through sprocket wheel 66 and chain 67 to the elevator drivesprocket 59.

The particular advantages inmanipulating the apparatus, as describedabove, Wlll be apparent when it is understood that when the gear shiftand friction clutch are entirely separate from the elevator drive, theloader ma be made to crowd at any desired spee without affecting thespeed at which the conveyor is continuously traveling. This operation iscontrolled by control apparatus within reach of the operator at onestation on the tractor and while the elevator is o erating at its fullcapacity.

While have shown and described one way in which the general principlesmay be carried into effect, it will be obvious that variations andmodifications therein may be' required or desired to meet particularconditions of use, and I desire to be understood as reserving the rightto make any and all such changes or modifications as may be foundnecessary or desirable in so far as the same may fall within the spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims whenbroadly construed.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. 'In a tractor of the character described, thecombination with a wagon-loading device, of means for receiving powerdirectly from the motor of the tractor and applying the said power tothe elevator of the load ing device, said means comprising a sprocketmounted on the crank shaft of the motor in the tractor, a clutch shaftlongitudinally disposed with respect to the tractor at one side thereof,driving means between the said sprocket and the clutch shaft, a clutchcontrol device carried by said clutch shaft, and means for transmittingpower from the clutch shaft to the elevator of the loading device,substantially as described.

2. In a combination tractor and loading deviceof the characterdescribed, including power means for driving the tractor, transmissionand clutch mechanism disposed between the said power means and thetraction members of the tractor, means for operating the loading deviceindependently of the operation of the tractor, said means being directlycoupled to the said power means and comprising a continuously drivensprocket and chain connection from the crank shaft of the power means, aclutch device connected to said sprocket and chain connection, and meansfor controlling the loader from the last named clutch, whereby thetractor and the loader may be independdently driven at the same ordifferent spee s.

3. In a combination tractor and loading device of the characterdescribed, means for operating the loading device from the tractorindependently of the traction of the tractor, a clutch and transmissiondevice between the tractor motor and the traction wheels, a clutchcontrol means for operating the said clutch including a foot pedaldisposed at one side of the tractor, and a pedal operating devicecomprising a counter shaft carried by said tractor, a cam disposed atone end thereof and adapted to operate against the said pedal to releaseor engage theclutch, said cam being adapted to contact with the pedalclosely adjacent the outer end of the latter, and a lever and sectorcontrol at the opposite end of said counter shaft for changing andfixing the position of the said cam with respect to the pedal, the saidlever and sector control being disposed at a remote station in thetractor with respect to the foot pedal.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

NELS PE'IER NELSON.

